Nut-lock.



No. 861,216. PATENTED JULY 2a, 1907'.

A. R. & W. P. KEBHL.

, NUT LOGK.

APPLIUATION mum FEB. 23, 1906.

Ill/ll the head 2 and the threaded end 3.

. cess being located adjacent the bore of unscrew the bolt, the springwill resist such action and,

UNITED STATES AUGUST B. KEEHL AND WILLIAM PATENT OFFIOE.

F. KEEHL, OF CLEVELAND, 01110.

NUT-LO CK.

Application filed February 23, 1906.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, AUGUST R. KEEHL and WIL- LIAM F. KEnnL, residing atCleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Nut-Locks, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to nut locks, and has for its object to provide anut with simple, effective, and inexpensive means whereby the unscrewingof the same is prevented, without liability of the locking means tobecome displaced and without weakening the nut.

Generally speaking, the invention may be defined as consisting of thecombinations of elements, for the purposes specified, embodied in theclaims hereto annexed.

Referring to the drawings :Figure 1 represents a plan view of the innerface of a nut having our invention applied thereto, the bolt beingrepresented in section; and Fig. 2 represents a sectional view on theline 22 of Fig. 1, part of the bolt being shown in elevation.

1 represents a bolt of ordinary construction having 4 represents a nut,also of ordinary construction, adapted to be threaded onto said bolt.This nut is provided within its inner face, with a recess 5, said rethenut and being preferably quadrangular in shape. One wall 6 of saidrecess extends radially of the nut in the direction of a line joiningdiametrically opposite corners of the nut. The wall 7, adjacent saidwall 6, forms an acute angle therewith, and the .wall 8 of said recesspreferably forms an acute angle with said wall 7, for the purpose ofretaining in said recess the form of nut lock which we employ. Therecess 5 merges with the bore of the nut, an opening or mouth 8 beingprovided between said recess and bore.

Within the recess 5 is placed the nut lock, said lock consisting of anangular spring, one leg 9 of which extends in the direction of the wall6 and in substantial contact therewith before the nut is applied to abolt. The other leg 10 of said spring extends along the wall 7 and is insubstantial contact therewith. The leg 9 projects within the bore of thenut to a point corresponding to the inner surface or crown of the threadtherein.

When the nut is screwed onto the bolt, the tapered end of the latterwill engage the end of the leg 9 and, owing to the direction ofrotation, will force the inner end of such leg into the position shownin full lines in Fig. 1, such inner end of the leg engaging the crown ofthe screw thread on the bolt. -When it is attempted to with thearrangement of parts as described, the angle at which such end of theleg engages the bolt thread and the length of such leg will effectivelyprevent the nut from unscrewing from the bolt, without the employment ofnotches in the threads'of the bolt. The provision of an acute anglebetween the walls 7 and 8 prevents the leg 10 from yielding by thepressure brought on the end of the leg 9 by the bolt, and all attemptsto unscrew the nut are ineffective.

We are aware of the fact that it has been proposed to use springsembedded in nuts to prevent the unscrewing of such nuts from theirbolts. In all structures of this type with which we are familiar, thespring has been applied to the outer face of the nut, making it liableto drop out unless some special retaining means be employed. In ourconstruction, however, such special retaining means need not be employedaside from the shape of the recess, and the location of such recesswithin the inner face of the nut prevents the spring from beingdisplaced or dropping out, as the ordinary washer 11 which is employedwith nuts will constitute a bearing for the outer edge of the spring andwill effectively retain the same in place and in operative relation tothe bolt. Moreover, by locating the recess substantially in a linejoining the diagonally opposite corners of a nut, the nut is notweakened, as said recess is placed where the greatest body of the nut isprovided, making the strength of this part of the nut, with the recesstherein, as great as, or greater than, the strength of said nut at itsweakest point, which is along the line joining the middle points of theopposite sides thereof. Furthermore, the direction of the wall 6 and thefact that the spring is so shaped that the normal tendency of the leg 9is to project in the direction of said wall enables said leg to engagethe outer surface of the bolt at the most effective point to preventbackward rotation of the nut.

Owing to the shape of the recess and of the spring, the latter may beapplied to the nut by merely dropping or placing it by hand within therecess, the location of the recess within the inner face of the nutretaining the spring therein when the nut has been screwed up intoengagement with or adjacent to awasher or other stop. An ordinary nutwhen provided with a recess such as shown and described herein may thusbe readily used either with or without the lock feature, as may bedesired.

Having thus described our invention what we claim to be new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A nut having in its inner face an angular recess, said recess mergingwith the bore of said nut and having three walls, one of said wallsextending in the direction of the radius of the-bore, another extendingat an angle to the first mentioned wall and the third wall forming anacute angle with the second mentioned wall and forming with the firstmentioned wail an opening into said bore, and an angular spring freelyseated in said recess and having its legs corresponding substantially indirection and extent with the first and second walls prior to theapplication of the nut to a bolt, substantially as specified.

2. A nut having in its inner face an angular recess, said recess mergingwith the bore of said 'nut and having three walls, one of said Wallsextending in the direction of the radius of the bore, and along the lineof a diagonal connecting opposite corners of the nut, another wallextending at an angle to the first mentioned wall and the third wallforming an acute angle with the second mentioned wall and formingwitlithe first mentioned wall a contracted opening into said bore, andan angular spring 10 freely seated in said recess and having its legs,prior to the application of the nut to st antially in direction and exta bolt, corresponding subent with the first and sec- I ence of twowitnesses.

Witnesses;

S. E. Fours, .T. B. HULL.

AUGUST R. KEEHL. WILLIAM F. KEEHL.

